Survey Instrument
Senate leaders, in consultation with the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Institutional Research, specifically recommended participation in the ModernThink survey. This survey was identified as having multiple strengths including that it closely matched many of the aspects that the senate leaders wished to measure; the ModernThink Company and this survey instrument are well established; using a third party survey assures complete confidentiality of respondents; and it allows benchmarking with other institutions nationally.
General information about the survey:
- Survey participation allows peer comparison for planning and benchmarking, nearly 800 universities have participated.
- On-line or paper survey with distribution and confidentiality managed by the ModernThink company.
- Highest performing schools receive recognition from the Chronicle of Higher Education. If an institution is not recognized as a top performer then results are confidential.
The survey contains items based on the following themes or scales:
- Job Satisfaction / Support
- Teaching Environment
- Professional Development
- Compensation, Benefits & Work/Life Balance
- Policies, Resources & Efficiency, Facilities
- Shared Governance
- Supervisors, Department Chairs and Senior Leadership
- Faculty, Administration & Staff Relations
- Communication and Collaboration
- Fairness, Respect & Appreciation, Pride
Data Collection
The survey was administered during the 2014 spring term. The survey was administered on-line, with ModernThink sending e-mails directly to faculty, administrators, and staff that contained a link to the survey and a unique password for each employee. This distribution method assured that the survey was secure and that respondents could only provide a single response. Respondents were sent multiple reminder e-mails. The exception to this method of distribution was that paper surveys were mailed to home addresses for bargaining unit staff because this population does not always have access to a computer during the workday.
The faculty, administrative, and classified senates coordinated an informational campaign to increase response rates. This effort included sending personal e-mail reminders, distributing flyers, mailing flyers, announcements at campus meetings, articles in COMPASS, and a friendly competition between the senate bodies to encourage participation.